Chapter 353: Welcome Back
In this league, Yingtian—one of the originally favored championship contenders—only managed to place fifth. Tianxin advanced steadily to take third, while LianTu City made a stunning breakthrough: one team claimed the championship, and another secured fourth.
With that surge in prestige, LianTu City seemed poised to rise even further. As a result, those who had intended to question LianTu City over league matters found themselves temporarily silenced.
No matter what, this was not the right time to provoke LianTu City.
After the finals, Xu Zhi had no way of knowing what would happen next to the “Arbiter.” That was beyond her current reach.
But she had a feeling—
It wouldn’t be long before she heard something.
The one who had forced the Arbiter into the open wouldn’t remain idle, and [Cup] was still lurking in the shadows, watching. The days ahead would likely not be peaceful.
Once the finals ended, Xu Zhi found something unexpectedly annoying—
Too many people wanted to contact her.
At times like this, she almost felt she needed a personal assistant just to handle everything. But she didn’t. So she could only grit her teeth and reject each request one by one.
She simply found it troublesome and unnecessary—but in the eyes of Xi Min and the others, it came across as loyalty to the Academy.
With the league over, a two-month break began.
Xi Min gave everyone three days to stay in Free City before returning together to LianTu City.
In those three days, Xu Zhi exchanged nearly all her rewards—except the Lost Lands qualification—for cores.
One advantage of Free City was this: no one cared what you bought. There were plenty of merchant guilds backed by powerful consortiums that respected customer privacy. Xu Zhi purchased a large number of [Moth] and [Lamp] cores, along with a smaller amount of [Blade].
After that, she boarded the same airship and returned to LianTu City.
“The Lost Lands slot belongs to each of you individually. The Academy won’t dictate how you use it, but you can request a supervising teacher for protection when you do.”
“That’s part of your reward.”
“Of course, you can also choose not to accept the Academy’s protection.”
Xi Min explained during the journey. Some of these students came from influential backgrounds—some even had their own networks within the Lost Lands. The Academy simply provided an additional safeguard.
“Also, besides the Academy’s rewards, the Council has prepared something as well.”
“TC-8600 series unrestricted prosthetic—any body part.”
When Xi Min announced this reward, everyone except Xu Zhi showed visible shock.
“The Council is being this generous?”
The TC-8600 prosthetics weren’t made of metal—they were crafted from at least Named-level extraordinary creatures captured deep within the Lost Lands. Their cores, bones, and flesh were refined through special methods into prosthetics that could even carry one of the creature’s abilities.
To prevent rejection, these prosthetics had to be custom-made, forged by master [Forge] specialists.
The materials alone were incredibly rare, selected according to the individual’s attributes and compatibility. Combined with top-tier craftsmanship, they ensured the prosthetic retained “vitality,” becoming part of the body rather than a mere tool.
The complexity of the process was unimaginable.
Once successfully installed, a TC-8600 prosthetic was essentially equivalent to gaining an additional extraordinary ability.
Who wouldn’t want that?
This was also one of the reasons LianTu City stood among the dominant cities—it possessed prosthetic manufacturing technology far beyond others. In this city, almost everyone had some form of prosthetic. Even in the lower districts, nearly half the population had augmentations.
As for TC-8600, its strict requirements and astronomical cost meant even the upper districts couldn’t easily obtain one.
And now—
They were being given one?
Ji Muge practically jumped up. “I want to replace my hand!”
She had dreamed of owning one—and never thought it would actually come true.
Xi Min cut her off. “Don’t rush. The Academy will conduct a full evaluation to determine the most suitable part. Of course, you can also choose based on your own preference.”
Only Xu Zhi asked calmly:
“Can this opportunity be sold?”
Everyone turned to look at her in surprise.
“Junior, don’t be foolish—that’s priceless!”
“Which means it can sell for a lot, right?” Xu Zhi’s focus was clearly elsewhere.
“…Yes, it can be sold. But why?”
Xi Min didn’t quite understand. Prosthetics didn’t hinder extraordinary abilities—TC-8600 even granted an extra one. Why sell it?
“I feel like my body’s already pretty good. There’s nothing I want to replace.”
That was the truth.
Xu Zhi was different from ordinary extraordinary beings. Every part of her body had been tempered countless times. She was no longer truly human in that sense.
She didn’t think any prosthetic could make her stronger.
Besides, she had been educated under the Federation system, where prosthetics were mostly for the disabled. Even if LianTu City’s technology was far more advanced, it still felt… unnatural to her.
“Alright. If you want to sell it, the Academy can handle the process. It should fetch a high price—or do you want to exchange it for cores?”
“Cores. [Lamp] attribute.”
Xu Zhi answered without hesitation.
That would almost guarantee her advancement to Named.
“Once we’re back, get some proper rest. Your rewards will be delivered to your dorms today. See you next semester.”
Everyone said their goodbyes with laughter. For these young students, it was only a brief separation—two months to rest and absorb their rewards, then they would meet again. After everything they had been through, they were already friends.
Xu Zhi nodded as well, said goodbye, then turned and walked away from them toward her own destination.
“Junior always feels a bit distant,” Tongzhou scratched his head.
Ji Muge snorted lightly. “That’s just how she is—like, effortlessly amazing.”
“Talking behind her back?”
“I’d say it to her face too!”
“Really? Should I call her back right now?”
“…Don’t!”
In LianTu City, there were no true seasons, but the city simulated them. The air now felt like late summer. The evening glow filtered through the leaves, swaying gently in the breeze.
Xu Zhi walked up to the door. Before she could knock, it opened from the inside.
A gentle-faced woman stood there, her expression lighting up.
“I saw you coming back, so I came to open the door.”
She stepped aside, making space for her.
“Xiao Zhi, you’ve worked hard. Welcome home.”
For a moment, the scene felt almost unreal—like a warm illusion.
Xu Zhi came back to herself and gave a slight nod.
“…Mm. I’m back.”
